Rose went to sit down before she fell down, she hadn't felt like this since Bad Wolf Bay when the other day she had walked into the Police station and been told her family were gone, hiding themselves away. She wondered why her mother hadn't kept the same phone number, in case she called but if they were living abroad, that would explain it.

She took out Alec's work phone and turned it on, finding 'Bambles', hoping she wasn't going to need it but it wasn't looking good. There were two missed calls, one from Ellie who either couldn't wait or ringing him to tell him to get in before the chief fired him and one from the station, probably the chief herself saying he was fired.

She rang Ellie back, lost for words. "Ellie, Alec's in surgery."

"What? I thought he just keeled over and hit his head or something?"

"It's a bit more than that and I can tell you now because it doesn't matter. It's his heart and he's got to have a pacemaker but they don't think he'll survive, he's left it too late."

"Where are you Rose? You shouldn't be on your own, I'm coming down now. I'll have to tell the chief."

"I know. I'm in Dorchester, sorry about earlier, just ask for the theatre. Any news about my family?"

"No, not yet, sorry. I'm setting off as soon as I see the chief. Have you called his ex?"

"No, he told me not to, unless he doesn't make it then not to take any crap from her. He thought she would carry on at me. I've got his solicitors number."

"Crikey, he must have known then, how long has he been hiding this?"

"I don't know exactly, since his last case I think."

"Stupid idiot, why would he do that? Anyway, I have to go, I'll find you when I get there. I'll have the calls diverted to my phone if anyone calls about your family."

"Thanks Ellie, I just wish my mum was here."

"I know, maybe they've heard by now?"

"Yeah."

Rose hung up and crossed to the drinks machine, finding she had no change, typical. She walked to the end of the corridor and saw a café and went to get coffee and a Danish and sat where she could see the door to the theatre but it would be some time before anyone came out, he'd just gone in and they would have to prepare him first. She wished she was in there to hold his hand. No wonder he had felt off last night, she had suspected something was wrong and had taken ages to get to sleep, worried about him. Why had he chosen a remote chalet when he was like that? Now she had to explain it to Ellie and he would be annoyed about it.

She made her mind up that she was going to think positive, make plans for the both of them when her parents showed up. She would take him to recuperate somewhere warm and lay down on the beach somewhere. Finishing her coffee, she made her way back and sat opposite the door and waited for Ellie.

ooooooooo{silversurfer60}ooooooooo

When Rose had answered Alec's phone, Ellie had known they were up to something at that time in the morning, there was only one reason she would answer and her suspicions had been correct and even though she thought Rose was living with him, she wouldn't be answering for him so when she had said he was in hospital, she hadn't thought much about Rose being secretive. She thought Hardy was being an ass and not wanting anyone to know what was wrong with him and hadn't said a word about it but that last call, that Hardy was dying probably, it had sobered her up.

She knocked on the chief's door and broke the news.

"Ah, Ellie, where's DI Hardy? No-one's seen him this morning and he was told to get back on the Latimer case, where is he hiding?"

"Ma'am, I've got some bad news, he's in hospital"

"What? What's wrong with him?"

"He collapsed this morning at home, Rose Tyler was there and called an ambulance. It's his heart."

"What? How did that happen and more importantly, why was nothing picked up when he came here? I'll be having words with the CMO for not checking his medical records."

"Maybe it was never declared, Rose seems to think he's had a problem since Sandbrook."

"Foolish man, why didn't he do something?"

"If he survives, I'll be asking him. I'm going down to Dorchester, Rose is on her own and she shouldn't be."

"Yes, I agree. You go to her. Anything from her family yet?"

"No Ma'am, I'll have DI Hardy's calls sent to my phone.

The chief's desk phone rang.

"What? Well don't keep them there, bring them to my office. Did they ring earlier? They did? Then why wasn't I informed?"

The caller tried to tell her they had tried Hardy's phone but had got no answer and Mr Tyler had insisted to know where his stepdaughter was and something about not wanting to know the consequences of not telling him.

ooooooooo{silversurfer60}ooooooooo

In a private resort just outside Palma, Majorca just after six on the previous evening, Jackie Tyler was sitting in the large living room, patio door open watching Tony play with his toy zeppelins. Pete was in his study, going over his latest investments, even though he had sold Vitex, he had shares in them and was making a tidy sum with that and the other companies he had a stake in and they could easily keep up the lifestyle they were used to.

The wall-mounted TV was on low volume and Jackie was glancing at a magazine she got from the English grocery store she frequently visited when they went into the town, the housekeeper was preparing dinner and Tony seemed content. Jackie still missed Rose badly, hoping that when she had vanished, she had at least made it back to the Doctor or if not, Jake or Mickey had made it back and they were looking out for her. Pete had tried to explain that if Rose was in the future, which they suspected, they would catch up with her. It was no consolation though, at least the Doctor had brought her home for visits, she'd never been gone this long.

Jackie had questioned moving away but Pete had assured her Rose would be ok if she came back and it wouldn't take long to find them. She just happened to glance at the screen to see a man with a beard, the name 'Detective Inspector Alec Hardy' flash on screen. She had seen him before, news that a boy had been murdered just over a week ago in a seaside town in Dorset and thought it was an update to say they had caught the monster who had done it. Jackie thought what she'd like to do to the person responsible if she got her way and felt sorry for the family. She also thought how much he looked like a certain alien she used to know.

She turned up the volume and heard him make a statement. "Rose Tyler walked into a local Police station at around 2.30pm last Thursday."

"Pete! Come here quick, they've found Rose!"

Pete came running out. "What? Are you sure?"

"Listen." Jackie turned up the volume. Alec was now answering questions including the one about Rose staying with him.

"The cheek! Rose wouldn't do that, he's supposed to be just talking for her."

The screen showed Rose, trying not to smile. Tony had seen her. "Rose! Where is she Mummy?"

"She's safe Tony, let me hear the rest."

It showed Rose preparing to make a statement. "If anyone knows where my family are, please, call any Police station or the number on screen."

Before she had finished, Pete was on the phone to the airport, never mind a zeppelin, to get three seats on the next available flight which was at six the next morning and then he'd had to use his name to get those in first class but he didn't care, Rose was back. Jackie was dialling the number on the screen, being used to putting the dialling code in first.

She was answered by the desk sergeant at Broadchurch Police station. "This is Jackie Tyler, you know where my daughter is." It wasn't a question.

The sergeant had been polite and asked her to hold but everyone had left and Hardy wasn't answering his phone so after she put Pete on the phone, he told him that Rose was in Broadchurch and that DI Hardy was looking after her and she was in a nearby hotel. Jackie went to pack two cases, throwing Tony's things in with theirs and Pete said they should get some sleep after dinner and set off for the airport early the next morning. He also arranged for a car and driver to meet them at the airport in London to drive them down.

Knowing where they were they were two hours in front of Britain, they would arrive at roughly the same time they set off and Pete said it would take two or three hours to drive down there and they would find a hotel after they had seen Rose but Jackie pointed out they would all be tired and maybe they should get some rest. Pete said they could sleep on the plane and Tony would sleep on the car journey anyway so Jackie agreed to find Rose first.

"Did you hear that cheeky journalist saying Rose was staying with that detective?" Jackie asked Pete as they went to bed.

"I can't see that being true, maybe he was a local reporter and had seen the two of them together, Rose wouldn't be that daft would she?"

"I don't know, he looks a bit like the Doctor."

"Maybe he does but she's only been there a few days and I want to know why we weren't informed sooner. Why wait until today to inform the press?" Pete wanted to know. Then he added, "Maybe they were letting her settle down, I can't imagine what it was like for her."

They were waking Tony up just before four in the morning, bundling him into a taxi to go to the airport and booking into the VIP lounge, getting ready to board the plane to be reunited with Rose. They were greeted with a driver holding up their name when they arrived and they made a stop on the way down for Tony and to get some breakfast. Finally, they were dropped outside Broadchurch Police station with two cases and a holdall, Pete said they would arrange for a hire car later. Pete walked up to the front desk but it was Jackie who spoke.

"I'm Jackie Tyler, now where is my daughter?"

The desk sergeant called the chief and was instructed to show them to her office. He had tried calling Hardy last night but he hadn't answered and he wasn't going to get on the bad side of Mr Tyler.

ooooooooo{silversurfer60}ooooooooo

Pete, Jackie and Tony were shown into the chief's office and Ellie stood up, shaking hands with the two of them.

"I'm DS Miller, I work with DI Hardy and this is Chief Superintendent Jenkinson."

"Where's Rose, where is she staying? That reporter implied she was staying with that detective, is that true?" Jackie asked.

The chief spoke up. "Ellie, will you get a drink for Mr and Mrs Tyler and asked a WPC to take care of their son for a few minutes while we talk?"

Tony clung hold of his mother.

"It's ok, I've got two boys. What's your name then?" Ellie asked the boy.

"Tony Tyler."

"Well Tony, while your mum and dad find out about your sister, let's go get you some juice and then you can come back?"

"OK. Is that ok Mum?"

Jackie nodded and let him go, Ellie taking his hand.

"Mr and Mrs Tyler, your daughter is safe and well but she's currently not in Broadchurch. I've just been informed that DI Hardy has been taken to the hospital in Dorchester and is in a critical condition and Rose is with him."

"What? How do you mean she was with him? When did that happen and why is she there?" Jackie demanded to know.

"Mrs Tyler, it's not for me to judge who your daughter spends her time with but she has become very attached to DI Hardy and I believe she was actually staying him. They denied it for the sake of the press, which I don't blame them but she had been through a lot, coming back and finding out she had been missing for over four years when she found herself down on the beach, thinking it had been a few hours."

"I understand that and it does sound a bit like her and if she had no-one else, she would get attached to him. What's wrong with him?" Pete asked.

"I'm not sure, DS Miller was going down to the hospital, she didn't think Rose should be on her own. It's his heart."

Jackie gasped. Trust Rose to find herself someone who's got something wrong with his heart when she used to have someone who had two of them. Ellie came back in, leaving Tony with a WPC. She was carrying a tray with tea and biscuits.

"DS Miller, you're going down the hospital, can they go with you?" the chief asked.

"Of course, it's not a problem, I can take you there. I'd call Rose but her phone, or rather his phone might still be off. He's just gone into surgery a short time ago. She doesn't know if he'll survive."

The chief was surprised at that. How had he got through his last medical in that kind of condition?

"Then can we set off now?" Jackie asked. "She needs to know we're here for her. If she's made friends with him, she'll be gutted if the worse does happen."

"Just have your tea Mrs Tyler, he'll probably be in surgery for a while. I'll try his phone."

The chief tried but there was no answer. "She's probably only picking up when it's DS Miller, they've become friends. Do you want to try Ellie?"

"We'll just go down when you're ready. Do you need to find a hotel or have you already booked one?" she asked Pete.

Pete answered. "No but we'll find one when we've seen Rose. I'll hire a car when we get down there. It's not far is it? I saw a sign when we came down, if we had known, we could have got dropped off there."

They finished their drinks and collected Tony, who was telling the WPC all about his toy zeppelin collection. They loaded their luggage into Ellie's car and set off.

ooooooooo{silversurfer60}ooooooooo

Rose was waiting for Ellie's arrival, wondering if she should call back but she had turned the phone back off, not wanting any distractions and she certainly didn't want to take a call from his ex. Alec had been in almost an hour, what was taking Ellie so long? Had she got caught sneaking off and had to go back to the case? Maybe she had tried to cover for Alec and had to explain or just come clean with the chief. It didn't really matter now.

Ellie was driving down to Dorchester, Tony chatting away in the back to his mother and Ellie smiled. He reminded her of Tom at that age. Pulling up in the hospital car park and using her Police sign, she told the Tylers to leave their luggage then she would get it for them when Pete had a car delivered. They walked to the main desk and enquired where Alec was, Ellie showing her ID badge. They were directed past the café and Ellie saw Rose sitting outside a door she assumed was the operating theatre.

Rose looked up as she heard footsteps approaching, she had been staring at the floor, thinking about the first night Alec had got into bed with her when she had been having nightmares. Then she heard a familiar voice.

"Rose!"

"Mum?" She got up and threw her arms around her mother.

"Are you ok Sweetheart? What happened? How did you get involved with him?"

"Please Mum, not now. Where have you been anyway?"

"We went to Majorca, got a villa there in a resort. Why did it take so long for us to find out where you were?"

"I'll explain everything later, all I want to do now is concentrate on Alec getting out of there alive."

Pete had stepped up, leaving Ellie to hold on to Tony, who had wanted to run to his big sister. Rose gave him a hug.

"Trust you to find someone who looks like the Doctor," he smiled.

"I told you, I stopped all that a long time ago. He doesn't know and I'm not telling him, ever. I've been with him since I arrived here, he's been looking after me and I blame myself for him being in there but he never told me just how bad he was."

"Someone wants to see you," Jackie nodded towards a nervous Tony.

Ellie took his hand and led him to Rose and she scooped him up.

"Wow, you've grown, look how big you've got."

He gave her a big hug. "Where have you been Rose? I missed you."

"I missed you too Sweetheart, I've not really been anywhere, dad will explain it to you but right now, my friend is in there and he's very poorly."

"Are the doctors making him better then?"

"I hope so Sweetheart, I hope so."

"I'll take Tony and find a hotel order a hire car and come back. Ellie was good enough to bring us down here."

"Thanks Ellie and I'm sorry I was off with you."

"It's ok, you were worried about him. Any news yet?"

"No, not since they took him in."

"Well I'll take your dad to a nearby hotel and get back to the station, call me when you can, good or bad. I'm here for you Rose, don't forget that."

"I won't Ellie. Will you stay with me Mum?"

"Don't be daft Rose, of course I'm staying."

Ellie took Pete and Tony off to find a hotel and Pete said he'd be back and he would also get a room for Rose so she could be close by. Jackie then asked her where she had been staying.

"Alec got a rental cottage by the river, you probably saw it, that blue chalet?"

"Oh yeah, I saw that, it looks nice. So you've been there since you got back? How did you get there?"

"The device, it landed me on the beach and I went to the Police station when the numbers I had no longer worked. I'm tired Mum, I got woken up at six when Alec collapsed."

"Sorry Rose, let me go get you something to eat, yeah? Oh I've only got Euros, sorry. I'll have to get Pete to go get some."

"It's ok Mum, I can't eat anything, I had a coffee earlier."

Jackie sat beside here. "Well I'm not leaving either until he's out, I want to meet him."

"You'll like him Mum, he's Scottish and he's been taking good care of me and before you ask, yes, we're together, we just didn't want to spill it to the press."

"I didn't say anything did I?"

"You didn't have to." Rose leaned back on the wall. Jackie notice the carrier bag.

"Alec's things, he was only wearing a t-shirt and joggers, he'd just got up. I heard him fall on the bathroom floor and I rushed over to him. He's been ill for a while but he never told anyone, he was working on a case."

"I know, I saw him on TV. I always watch the English channels in case there was anything about you, we only heard at six yesterday evening."

They sat in silence for another hour, arm in arm. Jackie knew Rose would never leave until she knew what had happened. No-one went in or out of the operating theatre which Rose didn't know if was good or bad. Jackie supposed Pete would be sorting out a hotel and a car and would come back though a hospital was no place for Tony to be waiting around and wondered if there was somewhere else she could take him. She knew Rose needed her.